Walk in the Rain
by ArmorOfDay
Summary: Gunsmoke and Eel sneak out to spend time together and go on a picnic. It gets rained out and they go on a walk instead. Written for Infinite-Reach. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Gunsmoke and Eel belong to Infinite-Reach.


'Ok Eel, you can do this. Just a few more steps and you're out.'

The small yellow Autobot peered around the corner of the hall to the entrance of the Ark. The hallway was empty, most everyone being on patrols or other duties. Eel smiled and started walking to the entrance. He was glad no one was there, for it meant he wouldn't have to lie if someone asked him where he was going. Eel hated lying, but he couldn't tell anyone the truth. That could easily get him thrown in the brig; and he wasn't even doing anything wrong. At least, he didn't see anything wrong with it, but others might not think the same.

Eel snuck out of the base without being spotted and transformed into his alt mode. The little hovercraft took off, making sure not to fly too close to human cities or roads. Even though Cybertronians weren't in hiding or anything like that, Optimus didn't want them calling unnecessary attention to themselves. Which was why most of the other Autobots scanned Earth vehicles for their alt forms. Since Eel never went very far from the base most of the time, he never bothered with doing so.

After half an hour of flying, Eel transformed and landed in a small forest clearing. He pulled a large blanket from his subspace and spread it out on the ground. He also unpacked some energon and oil before sitting down to wait. He didn't have to wait long.

"Eel," a deep voice said.

Eel's green visor brightened happily as he spun around. "Gunsmoke!" he exclaimed.

A large black and gray Decepticon stepped out from the trees and into the clearing. His cracked red visor was locked onto Eel as he walked over and sat down. Eel immediately climbed into his lap and pressed closed to his chest.

"I missed you so much, Gunsmoke!"

"I missed you too, Eel," Gunsmoke said quietly, placing a hand on the little mech's head.

Despite being barely a third of Gunsmoke's size, Eel was completely at ease with the large Decepticon. He didn't feel this comfortable with anyone else, not even his best friend Jitterbug. Snuggled into the broad chest with a strong arm wrapped around him was Eel's favorite place to be.

"I brought a treat with me," Gunsmoke said. "Copper nuggets."

"Yum! I love copper nuggets."

"I know. I brought 2 cubes of high-grade as well."

"I've never had high-grade before," Eel said.

"I know. That's why I only brought 2 cubes."

Eel giggled and slipped out of Gunsmoke's lap. He stayed close to the large tank's leg though, leaning against it a bit. Gunsmoke smiled and placed his head on Eel's helm again, rubbing a little. The smaller bot's engine practically purred as he tilted into the touch. The black and gray mech smiled again. He had had lovers before Eel in the past, but never one that he had felt the need to always be in physical contact with. Whenever he was around the tiny Autobot, he just had to be touching him in some way. It didn't feel right otherwise.

They spent the next hour in comfortable quiet. Gunsmoke had never been much of a talker, and Eel didn't feel the need to say anything. They simply enjoyed each other's company; soft smiles and tiny brushes of hands saying far more than words ever could. Eel sipped his energon slowly, getting used to the taste of the high-grade. It was pretty good, and matched well with the copper nuggets. All in all, the day was pretty much perfect.

Perfect until a sudden clap of thunder rang out, followed by a downpour of rain. In seconds, both mechs were completely drenched. Eel scrambled to get the food put away in his subspace, hoping to save it from being ruined. Gunsmoke simply gazed at the little hovercraft; watching rivets of water run down his chassis. The tank licked his lips, finding it an incredibly sexy sight.

"I can't believe it started to rain!" Eel exclaimed unhappily. "Our picnic is ruined!"

"It doesn't have to be," Gunsmoke said quietly. "We can still enjoy ourselves."

"In the rain?"

"The rain doesn't matter. We don't have to fuel. We could take a walk instead."

"A walk sounds nice."

Gunsmoke gave Eel a small smile and stood, holding out his hand. Eel smiled broadly, taking his hand eagerly. The two started off into the forest; the large tank turning on his lights so they could see. The beam caused the water to glisten like little diamonds, making the forest seem to light up. Eel couldn't help grinning happily. He felt like he and Gunsmoke were walking through a magical forest of like the ones he read about in human fairy tales. The drenching rain didn't even register in his mind anymore.

"I'm having a really great time, Gunsmoke," he said to his companion.

"I'm glad to hear that," the large Con said. "I'm having a good time too."

Eel grinned broadly, giving his hand a squeeze. He was so glad that Gunsmoke was enjoying himself. The black and gray Decepticon was always so quiet, that it could be hard to tell what he was thinking. Eel wasn't one to be insecure, but he sometimes wondered if Gunsmoke found him boring. He hated to think that his friend wasn't having a good time when they were together. It was comforting to know otherwise.

Carefully navigating around a large mud puddle, Gunsmoke led the smaller mech through the forest. He held tight to his hand so he wouldn't get lost. The large tank didn't want to take the chance of them getting separated in the pouring rain. Eel wandering alone in the woods in the dark was something he didn't want to think about. Gunsmoke was very protective of the little hovercraft, wanting to keep him safe at all times. He didn't care that the pair of them were supposed to be enemies, that they should hate each other. He cared very deeply about Eel; if anyone didn't like it, they could go to Pit for all Gunsmoke cared. Eel was his to protect and love, and his alone.

"Hey, I think the rain's letting up!" Eel said cheerfully.

Gunsmoke glanced up and saw that he was right; the rain was slowly petering out. Sunlight was filtering in through the tree branches, lighting up the forest. The tank turned off his lights since they were no longer needed. Eel looked around as they stepped into a clearing, enjoying the diamond-points of light dripping down from leaves. Then he glanced up and smiled broadly.

"Look, Gunsmoke, a rainbow!"

The black and grey Decepticon smiled at his friend, only glancing at the rainbow. He loved it when Eel smiled; loved watching his face light up and his visor sparkle. He wanted Eel to smile all the time. Gunsmoke gave his hand a gentle squeeze, spark filled with love for the small mech. His spark skipped a beat as Eel beamed up at him and squeezed his hand back.

The two mechs simply stood there for a while, enjoying their surroundings and each other's company. Neither spoke, but speaking wasn't necessary. Just holding hands and gently caressing a cheek was more than enough. The perfect end to the perfect day in Gunsmoke's mind.

Until the moment was ruined by the crackle of Gunsmoke's com turning on and Starscream's screechy voice demanded that he returned to base. The large tank sighed in displeasure, not wanting to leave. But orders were orders, and Starscream outranked him.

"I have to go, Eel," he said unhappily. "I've been ordered back to base."

"Aw, do you have to?" Eel said sadly. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go either, but I have to. I have to follow orders or I'll get in trouble."

"Alright then. I guess I'll see you later," Eel sighed.

Gunsmoke nodded, then leaned down to press a kiss to the tiny Autobot's cheek. That earned him a small smile before he was forced to leave or risk Starscream laying into him for being late. Eel transformed and took off to head back to his own base, already looking forward to the next time he and his love could be together again.


End file.
